Silver City, NM - Powered by six homer runs across the doubleheader, the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team continued its tear through Lone Star Conference play, sweeping the Western New Mexico Mustangs, 11-7 and 16-9, to push its winning streak to nine games.
The team hit two bombs in game one, followed by four more in game two, including a pitch-hit homer from freshman
Isabella Hernandez. Sophomore RF
Lainee Ballin led the way with a pair of deep shots, going 2-for-6 with two walks and four RBI across the DH. This marks the second time this season that the Javelinas have won nine straight contests, improving the squad to 16-6 in LSC play, solidifying its spot at No.5 in the conference standings.
"Today's doubleheader with Western New Mexico was a war," Head Coach
Orlando Salinas said. "The wind was shifting all day long, so it made it hard for the pitchers because if they left it up, it had a chance to leave the yard. Our offense stuck to the plan and made all their pitchers work, and when they made a mistake, our offense made them pay."
In the circle, senior RHP
Andrea Martinez was, once again, a work horse for TAMUK. She pitched a complete-game win in game one, before returning in game two out of the bullpen to get the final 13 outs for the Javelinas' defense. In total, she struck out 11 Mustang batters and threw 198 pitches on the day. She has now pitched in 12 straight games for TAMUK, 11 of which the team has won.Â
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Andrea Martinez was an absolute game-changer today on the mound," Salinas said. "She didn't have her best stuff today, but she grinded out game won and came out with the victory and came back in game two and absolutely saved the day."
Kingsville's scoring in game one began with the first of Ballin's homers, as she sent a two-run shot over the centerfield wall in the top of the second to begin TAMUK's scoring for the day and tie the game. Just one inning later, it was junior first baseman
Dakota Martinez who gave Kingsville the lead, knocking an RBI single into right center. After a sacrifice from Ballin made it 4-2, TAMUK's offense went quiet until the sixth, when D. Martinez woke it up in a big way. She sent a no-doubter to right center, her eighth homer of the year, and started a streak of five straight Javelina batters who reached safely. That began a huge offensive frame from Kingsville that saw it plate seven runs, breaking the game wide open and securing its win.
D. Martinez stayed hot in game two, scoring freshman DP
Ayla Gonzales from first with a first-inning double, making it 1-0 and beginning a four-spot in the frame that included a homer from freshman LF
Kennia Chong. That which was quickly followed by another four spot in the second, and a two-run bomb from Gonzales in the third, giving TAMUK a healthy lead. Late in the game, Hernandez announced her return from injury in a big way, sending the first pitch she saw deep over the left field wall for another two runs. Ballin book-ended TAMUK's deep shots with the team's final homer over the day in the sixth, helping the squad to a 14-hit day. The team has now scored double-digit runs in eight games this year.
"Today our offense hit six homer runs and was very disciplined at the plate," Salinas said. "I'm super proud of our offense, our defense, and our pitching because in the Lone Star Conference, nothing is ever easy."
Kingsville will continue its road trip in Alpine on Friday as it takes on Sul Ross St. in a pair of road conference games (1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.).
